Get the Sticks Ready

Hanover, Woodstock Have High Hopes as Season Starts

The sticks have been strung, the nets have been hung and the Upper Valley’s high school lacrosse teams are ready to face off.

Getting the ball rolling last weekend were Hanover and Woodstock’s boys teams, the region’s best squads in their sport. The Marauders and Wasps hooked up for a fast-paced scrimmage where the score wasn’t officially kept but that the former won by roughly five goals. Hanover may be down a notch, at least to start the season, while Woodstock appears capable of reaching its first Vermont Division I final since 2003.

“We’ve been inside for two weeks and had only one other day outside, so I was happy with our speed getting up and down the field,’’ said fourth-year Woodstock coach Brandon Little. “Hanover’s a great team, and we almost played with them. Any other year in the last five or six years, they would have beat us by 15 goals.”

The Marauders have made six consecutive appearances in the NHIAA Division I semifinals, but lost 75 percent of last year’s scoring to graduation or prep-school transfers. That means Hanover will begin the current campaign relying on its defense, where long-pole players Carl Keating, Noah Huizenga and Teddy Geraghty compose a formidable and mobile trio in front of goaltender Chris Washington.

“We’re athletic, tough, talented and aggressive on defense and we’ve got a smart and fundamentally sound goalie,’’ said eighth-year Hanover coach Jeff Reed. “We just can’t turn it over like we did in the offensive end today, and still be successful.”

Hanover’s headliner in the midfield is Jesse Brown, who previously played attack. Reed describes the senior as “gazelle-like” in his easy movements and acceleration and has hopes he can make the Dartmouth varsity when he arrives at the college in the fall. The Marauders’ attack will be done more by committee, although Reed has hopes for the potential of sophomore Conor Austin.

“Scoring is a work in progress for us, but we have skilled kids, so it’s just a matter of figuring out who fits where,’’ Reed said. “We’re going to have to succeed by moving the ball and moving off the ball.”

Woodstock’s strength is the skill and leadership of standout seniors Hunter Schmell and Ed Doton. The two are each in their fourth varsity season and are headed for college rosters. Schmell, an attackman with jitterbug moves, will play at Division III Stevenson (Md.) College, while the physical and athletic Doton is mulling several options at the same level.

“It’s been neat to see those guys mature with the program,’’ said Little, who promoted the pair from the junior varsity a week into their freshman seasons. “They lead by example every day and don’t take even one play off. This is a season they’ve been working towards for a long time.”

Another Wasps standout is junior goaltender Ben Orr, a third-year starter who impressed the Marauders during the scrimmage and who’s also drawing college recruiting attention. Woodstock’s program includes more than a dozen players in both the freshmen and sophomore classes and the town’s seventh- and eighth-grade teams each have rosters topping 20.

All in all, the Wasps have title-game aspirations and aren’t shy about discussing them.

“It’s a lot of pressure to say that, but that’s our goal,’’ Little said. “We’ve been in the quarterfinals and the semifinals the last two years, and we have a better team this year, so we should be in the championship.”

Players to Watch: A big season could be on tap for Brown, who moves from midfield to attack.

Toughest Foes: Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton, Londonderry, Exeter.

Etc.: Krass is now a freshman with the club team at the University of Richmond (Va.), which will promote the sport to NCAA Division I status for next season. … Peters is a grandson of former Dartmouth athletic director Seaver Peters.

Coach’s Final Thoughts: “Our defense and goalie will carry us until our offense develops and matures. We have a realistic chance to make the final four again.”

Players to Watch: Wood, who is expected to return in midseason after having his foot crushed in a forklift-related work injury.

Toughest Foes: Burr & Burton, Brattleboro, Mt. Anthony, Woodstock.

Etc.: New assistant coach Peter Lynch Jr. played for Hartford before graduating in 2008 and is a special education teacher in Cornish. His father, Peter Lynch Sr., coached the Hurricanes for four seasons, including several of them while his son was on the team.

Coach’s Final Thoughts: “We are young and athletic. The development of our younger players throughout the season will be a key.”

Coach’s Final Thoughts: “It looks like we will have a great season, fueled with a strong desire to be our best and amplified by a commitment to conditioning. We have excellent numbers this year and a significant amount of talent on both the varsity and junior varsity levels.”

Etc.: MacPherson, a 2007 Kearsarge graduate who played for the Cougars, is a personal trainer at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center. She was a Hurricanes assistant last year and is the program’s fourth head coach in as many years. Hartford is a combined 6-51 the past four seasons, including an 0-26 stretch during 2010 and 2011.

Coach’s Final Thoughts: “We’ve really focused on fundamentals. I think that’s what this program needs.”

Strengths: “Great group of core players including Gemma Bready, one of the best players in the state at all divisions.”

Weaknesses: “Our junior and senior classes are small so, in many ways, this is a rebuilding year. We lost 10 seniors, including seven starters.”

Players to Watch: Bready, Brooks, Anderson, Galluzzo, Scheuch.

Toughest Foes: Windham, Lebanon, Plymouth, Hopkinton.

Etc.: Bready, the division’s 2012 player of the year, has committed to play at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. The Mules play at the Division III level. … Kearsarge has reached the division finals three times in the last four years.

Coach’s Final Thoughts: “These young kids are talented and will learn our game. The biggest barrier to our development has been the awful weather conditions. We will have six freshmen on the varsity, and three may start. It’s rare a freshman even plays for Kearsarge lacrosse.”